Airline’s 3,800 sales and service agents can expect ruling by Labour Day
The arbitrator appointed to resolving the contract dispute between Air Canada and the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) is taking longer than expected and has been granted an extension.
Canada's largest airline and the union that represents approximately 3,800 sales and service agents had expected a ruling by Aug. 19, 2011.
The union is now looking at Labour Day.
CAW Local 2002 members staged a three-day walk-out in June over the airline's proposal to move new hires into a defined-contribution pension plan, rather than the defined-benefit pension plan currently offered to workers.
Under threat of being legislated back to work by the federal government, the CAW and Air Canada agreed to send the issue to binding arbitration.
Air Canada also reached a tentative agreement with the Canadian Airline Dispatchers Association on Aug. 19, the company said on Friday. Details of the agreement covering the company’s flight dispatchers will be released upon ratification.
